HELP, locked keys in trunk! Stranded...

[Guvs]

Hi All.
I've been reading this post with interest, like most things we always correct things after the event, like me for instance putting crash bungs on your bike after I've had a off, Doh !! Anyway back to this thread, last week for some reason I decided to re-route my "emergency boot release cables" (EBRC) before the event, as one day I will do it, ie lock my keys in one of the boots, the main reason I did it was, it would be a bit of a bugger getting access to the EBRC without taking the wheel off as mentioned in Kenny Boxster post earlier, I think he may not have had to do this yet, as if like most people the locking wheel nut socket is located in the tool roll in the Boot !! that's my first point, the other point is when I was doing this modification when testing the EBRC yes it will open the boot, but also the car alarm will go off and as ChrisZang said it goes into "don't steal me mod" and that means you can't open the doors to operate the other manual boot release switch in the cabin, so make sure you know what boot you left your keys in, or be prepared for a long annoying noisy time until you get the EBRC for the other boot.
All I need now to get into my boots is the knowledge of where to find my EBRC's it would take me less then a minuet to gain access to each boot, I may not ever need to use them but at least I now know it's not going to be a pain in the back side when I do
Guvs.

[ChrisZang]

Amen to that

[jesseborgelt]

After two days of owning my 2000 Boxster I locked the only key in the trunk at a store, with the top down, and the doors locked, with a storm coming in a few hours. Needless to say I was frustrated by every lock smith in the yellow pages saying the same discerning thing “You cannot break into that trunk.” I had the car towed on a flat bed and placed in my garage. I spent six hours armpit deep in that rear bumper searching for this mysterious lifesaving cable. Sadly, it does not exist in my car because I was able to find the hole where it is supposed to come out of. I ordered a new key to the tune of $475 and listened to my wife complaining about how I am buying new flowers to plant because hers are dying in the trunk. Even if you break into the cabin, all you have achieved is breaking into the cabin. You will not be able to open your trunk. An actuator renders the pull levers useless if the car is locked.

[Guvs]

LOL. "the flowers" I'm still laughing now, I'm so glad I did my Mod now.

[particlewave]

Hate to break it to ya Jesse, but it could have been opened without a new key.

Just need to jump the fuse. Glad you got it, though!

[Highlow]

Originally Posted by particlewave

Hate to break it to ya Jesse, but it could have been opened without a new key.

Just need to jump the fuse. Glad you got it, though!

Can you expand on 'jumping the fuse'?

[particlewave]

I suppose...

This only works with the mechanical levers, not the newer boxsters with trunk release buttons.(I posted it on pg1 of this thread, but didn't realize the op had the buttons).

Simply remove fuse C3 and use a wire to apply +12v to the fuses terminal. This will release the lever lock. Pull up on lever...voila!
I've heard that a regular, small 9 volt battery is powerful enough, but have never tried one.

[deptotpr]

I think I need to get another key...

[jbg0000]

My wife locked the key in the trunk of our 1999 986 Boxster while on a trip and texted me from 300 miles away to say she had just done this.

This was a real problem, because:

a) She was far from home;
b) Even if she were close to home, or in our garage, we presently have no way to open the trunk except by using the trunk release button on the key fob. That's because:
c) The trunk release button on the second key fob (which she did not have with her) does not work -- never did -- when I bought the car a year ago the owner disclosed that;
d) the manual trunk release cable on the driver's side recently went slack (a couple of months ago) and I was waiting until I had another fix-it issue or two before bringing the car to my Porsche guy with this seemingly minor glitch.

My story is long. If you are not up for the entertainment go to the section near the end of the post titled:

************************************************** ***
Here's how the trunk got opened without an emergency release cable:

************************************************** ***

On with my story.

Fortunately the passenger compartment was still unlocked. Unfortunately the wife could not lock it, or drive the car, having no secondary key.

After getting her distress text, I did some Web searches and found this thread as well as other Boxster-specific threads that start out something like "Help, my wife locked the key in the trunk..."

I learned about the possibility of an emergency release cable hidden under the bumper cover, and looked at several posts describing how to get at it. I called my wife and instructed her to walk across the street to Home Depot and get a couple of tools, including a set of Allen wrenches. My goal was to talk her through the process of loosening the bumper cover, feeling for the release cable, tugging on it and solving the problem.

Problem was, she could not figure out from my verbal description where the various screws were located. No joy.

While I did further online research, she had checked with a local locksmith who confirmed that this trunk is not something they can open. She was referred to a body shop to remove the bumper cover, etc. While she was busy having AAA tow the car over to the body shop...

I called the town's only foreign auto repair place and asked for their advice. They asked me if I had a local Porsche guy. I said yes. They said it would be best to bring it there.

I ended up having to drive 300 miles each way to rescue the car (left the wife there) using the spare key.

Oh, I left her there because she was visiting her mother. Forgot to mention that.

By the way, she also locked her suitcase in the trunk with the key, including her various medications.

I drove the car back home the next morning, grabbed some tools, and poked around underneath. Got the drivers side of the bumper cover loose enough that I could (without the help of a third hand) slip my hand inside and feel around for the hoped-for release cable. I saw the picture of one during my online research, but could not feel one. Further online research indicated that not all models have this feature.

This morning I drove the car to my Porsche guy (at Bauer Porsche Repair in Oakland, CA). He listened to my tale, smiled wryly and racked the car. An hour later he had it. Trunk was open, key was in fact inside, and he confirmed that my car has NO emergency trunk release cable. (He proved that by completely removing the bumper cover and checking both sides.) And my regular trunk release cable had snapped at the trunk latch end.

************************************************** ***
Here's how the trunk got opened without an emergency release cable:

************************************************** ***

It turns out that on each side of the trunk there are small holes. For the purpose of this emergency situation, think of them as "access ports" and they are covered with small panels. The mechanic was not previously aware of these holes as he never had any reason to be poking around this area of the car. One of the covers had fallen away (not sure whether into the trunk or outside). Discovering this hole, he came out and asked me on which side of the trunk the car keys might be. I said I didn't know. So he explored one side of the trunk by inserting his hand in the hole and feeling around, but he did not find the keys. I got the impression that he could actually see a bit into the trunk but not entirely, so he had to feel around. Giving up on one side, he opened the second hole by removing the cover and discovered the keys. He had to reach for them with a tool (a coat hanger) and was able to pull them within reach with some effort. This was fortunate because the trunk was filled by a suitcase and other items, so the keys could have been hiding anywhere between those items or behind them. An empty trunk (except for keys) would have been less of a risk for this procedure.

After arriving home I opened the trunk, removed the suitcase, and looked for the holes. The are located in the rear corners, left and right sides. You might need to pull back some carpeting to see them. You must remove the bumper cover entirely to access them from the outside. From the exterior, with bumper cover removed, they are found just below the bottom front edges of the tail lights. The holes are approximately rectangular and are large enough to insert a hand and part of an arm (maybe up to the elbow, depending on one's size). They turn out to be pretty useful for retrieving a key locked in the trunk. All you need to do is remove the bumper cover and fish around. Instructions for removing the bumper cover are outside the scope of this post but easily found elsewhere.

Needless to say:

1. I am very happy with my Porsche guy.
2. I am very happy to have the trunk back.
3. I will probably be getting the manual trunk release fixed very soon.
4. I will definitely be getting a replacement key fob for the spare key so that I'll have one that actually opens the trunk.
5. When the wife arrives at the local Greyhound station (or however she figures out how to get home) I figure I will have earned about 5,000,000 points for keeping my mouth shut about her locking the keys in the trunk 300 miles from home with no other means to get it open other than buying a new key fob (which could take days) or having a really clever mechanic.

Anyone heard of this solution before?

[bmsamson]

Originally Posted by tonycarreon

where are your keys? if they're in the back, why do you need to get the front open? if they're in the front why do you need to get the rear open? why not just open the one that has the key and then unlock the door...

your best bet is to call AAA and have them deal with it. once the cabin is open you'll be able to release the front or rear trunk, whichever one contains your key.

looking at this old thread because I had this problem yesterday. Problem is, AAA calls a locksmith who pries the window a little, reaches a hook in to release the door handle, so we're in, but the immobilizer overrides the frunk/trunk releases and they won't open. So, call the dealer and as someone suggests above he says look for the emergency pull cable under the driver's side tail light. No joy. So, tow to the dealer's where they'll work their magic for around $500. Well, that's a mistake I won't make again!!!

[bmsamson]

Originally Posted by Frodo

I've never tested this (perhaps I WILL!), but...I suspect that the system (mine's no doubt similar...an '01) is sophisticated enough that if someone 'breaks into' the cabin (however that action is defined), the controls for the trunk and the frunk would be disabled. At least I've always assumed as much...

I know this is an ancient thread, but from personal experience I will tell anyone looking that breaking into the cabin does indeed disable the controls for trunk and frunk. Don't waste your time and money with that, it won't get you any closer to your keys.

My after the fact hypothesis is that if they locksmith after prying the window ajar had used his reaching tool to tap the trunk release rather than pulling the door release, he might have got me where I needed to be without the hassle and expense of getting the dealer to remove the bumper cover and work his way in. No way to know for sure, but the alarm wasn't going off until after the unlatched the door, so i'm thinking this might indeed have worked........

[tommy583]

You can get the levers to release. I've done it after i locked my keys in the trunk on vacation. PM me if you want the info. It's hard to explain in text.